Lakers point guard Steve Blake and Hornets center Aaron Gray battle for control of the ball during the second quarter. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Lakers guard Kobe Bryant slams the ball for a basket during the fourth quarter. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Lakers power forward Lamar Odom drives past Hornets forward Jason Smith for a basket in the second quarter Tuesday night. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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New Orleans guard Chris Paul has trouble getting through the Lakers' defense as forward Matt Barnes, left, Steve Blake (5) and Pau Gasol (16) get in his way. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Lakers power forward Pau Gasol gets fouled on the way to the basket in the second quarter. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant scores early in the third quarter while surrounded by Hornets. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Lakers guard Steve Blake, right, and New Orleans center Aaron Gray scramble for a loose ball in the second quarter. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Lakers center Andrew Bynum passes the ball to a teammate while being double-teamed by New Orleans' Willie Green and Emeka Okafor. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Kobe Bryant protests a foul call by the referee in Tuesday's playoff game. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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New Orleans point guard Jarrett Jack is forced into a turnover during the second half Tuesday night. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Lakers center Andrew Bynum tries to tip the ball into the basket in the first quarter. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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New Orleans center Emeka Okafor protests as Lakers small forward Matt Barnes ties him up under the basket in Tuesday's game 5 playoff at the Staples Center. The Lakers beat New Orleans 106-90. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum fouls New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul in the third quarter of the Lakers win. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Lakers small forward Ron Artest (15) claims a foul by New Orleans center Aaron Gray (34) to the referee in Tuesday's game 5 playoff at the Staples Center. The Lakers beat New Orleans 106-90. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Lakers power forward Pau Gasol turns to put up a shot with pressure from New Orleans center Emeka Okafor in Tuesday's game 5 playoff at the Staples Center. The Lakers beat New Orleans 106-90. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Swarming Lakers defense led to this steal by Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Blake in the fourth quarter. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Los Angeles Lakers small forward Ron Artest takes delight in the loose ball turn over by New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul in the fourth quarter Tuesday. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Lakers center Andrew Bynum (17) muscles his way toward the basket and runs over New Orleans center Emeka Okafor in Tuesday's game 5 playoff at the Staples Center. The Lakers beat New Orleans 106-90. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Orange County Register sports writer, Kevin Ding gave Los Angeles Lakers small forward Ron Artest an award for his work in the community. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Jeanie Buss tries to work some camera magic before the start of game 5 against the Hornets. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Actor Jon Hamm enjoys the court side seat before the start of the Lakers game Tuesday night. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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David Beckham and Jeremy Piven sit court side during game 5 against the Hornets Tuesday night. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A young Laker fan in a yellow wig welcomes the Lakers on to the court Tuesday night. MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant stormed down the lane, rose into the air and stayed there above 6-foot-10 Emeka Okafor before dropping a hammer dunk that shook the very foundation of Staples Center.

The force of the slam fired up the Lakers late in the first half en route to their 106-90 tiebreaking Game 5 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday night. The Lakers have won the past 16 series in which they won Game 5 of tied series.

Bryant, playing on a sprained left ankle that had Lakers fans panicky in recent days, was quiet in the early going while the Hornets took a nine-point lead early in the second quarter. But Bryant's dunk 3:31 before halftime energized his team and his town.

He had been unhappy with a continuation basket allowed by referees at the other end after his foul on Trevor Ariza, giving New Orleans a 44-40 lead. So Bryant got the ball from Pau Gasol near the free-throw line and drove right into and over Okafor before staring at his nearby bench to finish the statement.

Bryant's dunk started a 10-2 Lakers run. They never trailed again.

Although Okafor has nearly half a foot on Bryant, the Lakers rediscovered their size advantages elsewhere in conjunction with the "effort and energy" that Andrew Bynum had said would be all that was needed to lift the Lakers back into form.

The Hornets had 20 of Game 4's 24 second-chance points, prompting Lakers coach Phil Jackson to say his team got "punked." This time,the Lakers had 22 of the game's 24 second-chance points. They also had the advantage in points in the paint, 42-30. Bynum, Gasol and Lamar Odom had 25 rebounds; the whole Hornets team had 25.

Bryant added a left-handed slam in the second half -- taking off with his healthy right foot -- and finished with a team-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting in 28 minutes. Jackson had said before the game despite Bryant not doing any basketball activities besides dribbling the ball in recent days: "I’m going to anticipate he’s going to rise to the occasion."

But the Lakers got six players scoring in double figures for the first time this series. They were 8-0 in the regular season when that happened.

Chris Paul tied a Lakers opponent playoff record for assists in a quarter with eight in the first period. But he had just four the rest of the game, scoring 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

The Lakers can close out the series Thursday night in New Orleans and await the winner of the series Dallas leads over Portland, 3-2.

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